Reports: Former Husker QB Taylor the front-runner for Bengals head coaching job

Lincoln Journal StarJanuary 12, 2019

Zac Taylor’s star has been on the rise for a while now, and reports suggest he may be close to landing a head coaching job in the NFL.

The former Nebraska quarterback and current quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Rams is the favorite for the Cincinnati Bengals’ top post, according to reports from multiple outlets including ESPN and NFL Network.

Bengals would like to hire Rams’ QB coach Zac Taylor after Los Angeles’ season ends, league sources tell @mortreport and me. It looks like it is Taylor’s job to lose. He is the preferred choice.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 10, 2019

Here is what we know about the #Bengals and their next head coach: The team is likely done interviewing and Zac Taylor, #Rams QB coach, has emerged as the favorite. He has not been informed he’s the guy and no negotiations have taken place. But signs point to him.— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 10, 2019

Taylor, 35, quarterbacked the Huskers as a junior college transfer in 2005 and 2006 and was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year as a senior.

He’s rocketed through the coaching ranks, most recently under Rams coach Sean McVay as receivers coach and then quarterbacks coach.

Taylor has been connected with at least four of the eight NFL jobs that came open this year, though, several have now been filled. He appears to be the favorite to succeed Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati, though, after the veteran was fired earlier this month.

Taylor’s Rams are still in the NFL playoffs and host the Dallas Cowboys at 7:15 p.m. Saturday in the NFL Divisional round. Taylor, of course, would not take over the Bengals until after the Rams have been eliminated from the postseason.